WNBA fans are inconsolable right now. The visuals of JuJu Watkins being carried off the court just 5 minutes into a game were the last thing they wished to see. What now? Well, some have been worrying about who’ll be her replacement. Others are straight up sending prayers for the injured athlete. And Jordan Chiles‘ mother Gina belongs to the latter group. An avid follower of the sport, Gina Chiles has now sent a 4-word message to the USC star.

“March Madness is MADNESS! LOVING IT!!” Gina Chiles had dropped hints on X that she was closely eyeing the WNBA game last year in April. On the same day, she expressed her disappointment when UConn got the better of USC. “That was crazy. I really wanted JuJu /USC to advance but Paige & UCONN did that. I’m a fan,” she’d posted her thoughts on social media. And she’s kept the tradition alive this year as well. Looks like Gina Chiles was following the 2025 March Madness too, until a disaster happened and she chimed in with her thoughts on it.

Taking to X on March 25, 2025, Jordan Chiles’ mother, Gina Chiles, reacted to USC star Juju Watkins’ injury. Gina wrote, “Man. JuJu. Prayers Up,” for the WNBA player who, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, suffered a season-ending ACL tear in her right knee.

Watkins was trying to slip in between two Mississippi State defenders when her knee buckled, causing her to collapse on the floor, where she remained for over a minute, grimacing in pain. A hush fell over the crowd as Watkins was carried out into the locker room by the medical staff. Although USC did not confirm that the injury is an ACL tear, they did say that it was, in fact, season-ending and that Watkins will have to undergo surgery and then rehabilitation. Being the mother of a gymnast, Gina Chiles is no stranger to the horrors of ACL tears. It was perhaps her empathy and her fandom for the sport that drove her to send prayers the USC star’s way.

In fact, not just a casual follower, Gina Chiles also attended one of the games between New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces in September last year. Both Jordan Chiles and her sister accompanied Gina to the game. Also, the Olympic gymnast got a standing ovation in the arena. Thus, the game was indeed a memorable one. And it made it clear that Gina is a true-blue follower of the sport.

But it is not just Gina. Looks like Jordan Chiles has had a few WNBA crossovers herself. She even has a few friends among the players in that sport. Here’s more about it.

Jordan Chiles’ WNBA connections

Recently, in a YouTube podcast with Candace Parker, Jordan Chiles opened up about WNBA player Caitlin Clark’s potential. She said, “I feel like she would be really good at vault.” Chiles also added, “She’s really fast, especially when she dribbles, especially when she does all her plays. She’s very, you know, demanding to the court into where the ball goes.” In fact, Chiles did not leave her friend, A’ja Wilson behind, She opined, ““I feel like A’ja could be an all rounder.”

Well speaking of these two, both Jordan Chiles and WNBA star A’ja Wilson were the recipients of the Times Women of the Year honors this year. The two even spoke together to Times in an interview where they respected and appreciated each other’s contribution to their respective sports. In fact, A’ja weighed in on Chiles’ bronze medal controversy saying, “Honestly, I prayed for you,” making her opinion that Chiles deserved the medal crystal clear.

So yes, both Jordan Chiles and her mother share a strong connection with the sport. And thus, it’s natural that Gina reacted on Juju’s injury. For more about the WNBA athlete’s injury and replacement updates, check this out.